can i remove the strut springs to lower my festarossa

[Damkid]

^^For What It's Worth

[b337yla]

Link to: "fastivaB6TG25MR's front strut mod" please.

[Basement_Modder]

no actually i found the write ups on this forum mr. smarty pants look in photo albums on page 15 then lokk under the post called so i lowered my matchbox. then learn to only open your mouth when it doesnt make you sound stupid

Here is a quote from that thread:

^Stock 12inch tires wont rub... I completly removed the springs on
my first festy. Looked good, but rode rough. Neither the front or back rubbed.

WTF!!? Is this the same gestiva I know??

Edit- found a pic of it:

[zoom zoom]

This is Aspire struts v Kia struts in a side by side.. I don't know what festy struts/springs would look like.. if you need a write up on how to change out struts, or cut springs, lmk and i'll send you the link.

http://i52.tinypic.com/15zqtts.png

Also, stock aspire spring off a strut, the strut was wore out, i fully depressed it with my hands..

I bought the spring compressor kit from harbor freight for 10 bucks.. works for these baby springs anyway.. I'm not sure I'd trust it with any bigger springs..

[Brayy]

By Removing your springs did it do any structural damage and would you recommend taking them out if your daily drive is on extremely bumpy roads ?

[zoom zoom]

Who me what no..?? Never just put a strut on a car without a spring..that would be suicide. I thought the question was already answered. also dont cut too many coils off the spring, it wasnt designed for that and will cause early failure of the strut. I took the spring off the strut to sell it, that strut was busted.

Google ftw (for the win) it'll give you everything but experience.


Imagine about 1200 lbs beating against an 1/8" piece of steel over and over, assuming 2/3 of a festy/spires weight is in the front, how long do you expect that "sheet metal" to hold up? The spring is there to cushion the blow..

[Brayy]

Well my springs just let my wheels hammer the gaurds.. i left it sitting on a ~10Degree decline for about two months.. hit a small bump and have some epic clunks..
thort if i remove the springs then it wouldnt be too bad.. Like the picture above..

[zoom zoom]

You would be suprised how many festy/aspires there are out there riding around on springs that are broken, and after 150-200k miles i'd say the struts didd their job, they wear out too. So in your case im gonna assume its one or the other or both at the same time if it's that bad. After a strut wears out if you don't replace it it will wear the spring out also so it will be "bouncier" and "bottom out" the strut.

Do what i did, start hitting up junk yards until you find a 00-02 kia rio, their struts are a direct bolt on replacement, i got both of mine for 50 bucks, which beats the crap out of a new 400$+ custom setup, or even OEM stock replacements for 100$+ each...cut one coil off the spring (maybe 2 for a festy idk) and enjoy the ride and far superior handling because of the ball bearing top mount v stiff crap! I never use 2 hands, not even in parking lots with no power steering.

[gorgonheimer]

Here is a quote from that thread:



WTF!!? Is this the same gestiva I know??

Edit- found a pic of it:

I know this thread is old but...

Who listens to a Guy wearing a ICP shirt?

[zoom zoom]

The great milenko FOR THE WIN!

right? Its been a few years..

[Safety Guy]

ICP = "Intra Cranial Pressure!"

Medically, anyway.

A Festiva with no springs and little tires that don't rub should be fine as long as you don't go over 25 mph on silky smooth garage floor type surfaces. To be safer, put on really large, cushy rubber bump stops! Your car should be fine anywhere you could safely drive an indoor forklift.

However, the real world has bumps, so taking springs out is asking for multiple ongoing problems, not the least of which would be crashing after hitting a bad pothole.

Cutting your springs too short is almost as bad. It will limit suspension travel and present most of the above problems. Same goes for using springs that are way too stiff.

The whole car needs to work as a SYSTEM. All parts of that system need to work together properly for it to work well and be safe. When you modify any part of a system, you really need to think about how it will affect the rest of the car, including the driver and any loads that will be carried.

When I see street cars that are "slammed," I think that the owner is showing off how he can own a car that is less practical, can carry less load, and is probably less safe than a normally set up car. There are some performance gains to be had from lowering a car, but there are always limits, which depend on type of use, other parts used, etc.

You really need to know what you are doing when changing out essential car parts (like suspensions). If you are doing it just for "looks" or "trends," then be doubly careful that what you are doing will at least be safe.

Just my opinion!

Karl

[NicholasJackson]

Just dont do it. Do you really want 700kg+ sitting of four 10mm peices of steel?

No.

[BigElCat]

Dwellfrosis...I'm curious about your screen name...does it have meaning?

Your use of the word "Festarossa" is the first time I've ever seen it. I wish I would have coined that term.

My Festiva is red; Rossa means 'red' in Italian.

A Testarossa is a Ferrari, it means red head. The Ferrari technicians had painted certain cylinder heads red, to keep them separate from less modified heads during their development. The red head was always the fastest, the term became slang, and later an actual car model.

Festarossa! And I called my Festiva "Festus".:eeeeeek:

In my opinion, you'll ruin your car if you try cutting the coil springs. It can be done, though.

You wonder about how to cut coils. You have to cut through them straight, at approx. 90 degrees. You can't do an angle cut, and leave a flat area to mate up with the spring perches. You also can't bend the coil to make it flat on top or bottom. You can't rotate the perch to accommodate the cut spring.

Some guys fashion a rubber spacer to try make the spring sit straight. Some guys just let the spring bow out and rub on the strut (this is really bad on the front).

The only way I'd do it, is if I could fashion a rigid aluminum disc that followed the cut coil about half way around. I gave up trying to make one. I tried using Aspire springs on the front of my Festiva, but they're about 1.5" too tall. Kia Rio springs are also way too tall.

Good Luck.

I'm going digress, and stir up a little smack, here, on your thread. It's all in good fun. I apologize in advance.

[BigElCat]

Sorry mate, but the only one that sounds stupid in this thread is you.

Are you not the same koRnhead that stated, "The fail of that question. Is well, beyond belief." ?

Now, I consider myself to be rather 'hip'. If I was anymore 'hip'....I'd have to wear women pants.

But your 'youthansims' here, are , well, beyond my capacity to translate.:p

[festivafeva]

if you want... i could send you a set of cut springs if you pay for shipping and you could try them out so that you would still have your old springs when you decide what you really want. i ran them for a while but i felt that they were too bouncy for my taste. they made the car look pretty good but i think it is something that you would get sick of too. just a suggestion so you dont end up cutting up your springs and then hating it and not being able to switch it back.